Royal Mail Guide for UK Resellers
Royal Mail is the UK's universal postal service: 11,500 Post Offices, around 8,000 Collect+ 'Royal Mail Shops', 2,600 Royal Mail lockers, 1,400 parcel postboxes and collection from your door. Buyers trust it most, it is mandatory on Whatnot, and its Tracked and Special Delivery services are the safest way to send anything valuable.
Written by Omair Sao · published · updated · checked against Royal Mail official pages · how we check
How Royal Mail works for resellers
Royal Mail sells its parcels in three formats. A Large Letter (35.3 × 25 × 2.5 cm, up to 750 g, or 1 kg on Tracked) is the cheapest way to send a single lightweight item such as a T-shirt, a slim book or a trading card. A Small Parcel is 45 × 35 × 16 cm and 2 kg; a Medium Parcel is 61 × 46 × 46 cm and 20 kg. Get the format right, because being a centimetre over the limit moves you into a much dearer band.
Prices bought online (Click & Drop or the app) are cheaper than the Post Office counter. Since 5 October 2026 a Small Parcel costs £4.40 by 2nd Class, £3.75 by Tracked 48 and £4.80 by Tracked 24 online, against £4.70 for Tracked 48 at a Post Office counter. A Tracked 48 Large Letter is £2.90 and a 2nd Class Large Letter under 100 g is £1.55. Letter and Large Letter stamp prices did not change in October; parcels, Tracked, Special Delivery and Parcel Collect all went up.
Only the Tracked services are actually tracked. Ordinary 1st and 2nd Class parcels get £20 of cover and, if you buy online, a delivery-confirmation scan (Ofcom rejected adding full tracking in 2025). Tracked 24 and 48 include £75 of compensation; Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm (from £9.85 for 100 g) includes £750, extendable to £2,500, and is the right choice for designer goods, phones and anything over £100.
Drop-off is more flexible than it used to be. Prepaid, barcoded parcels up to 44 × 35 × 16 cm and 2 kg can go in a parcel postbox; Royal Mail lockers accept Tracked and 1st/2nd Class parcels and print the label for you; Collect+ counters take the same QR codes as a Post Office and are open longer. Special Delivery and stamped items must go over a Post Office counter. Parcel Collect from your doorstep costs 50p per parcel since 5 October 2026 and adds a working day to the delivery aim.
8/10
Ease of Use
£1.55 – £16.05
Price Range
medium
Label Friction
Yes ✓
Has Lockers
Compensation included
£20 on 1st/2nd Class and Signed For; £75 on Tracked 24/48; £750 on Special Delivery (upgrade to £1,000 or £2,500)
Label Types
- Printable label (Click & Drop, Royal Mail app, eBay, Etsy, Whatnot)
- QR code (Vinted, eBay Simple Delivery, Etsy website labels) printed for you at the Post Office or locker
- Post Office counter (buy postage on the spot)
Drop-off Methods
- Post Office counter
- Collect+ / Royal Mail Shop
- Royal Mail locker (not for Special Delivery)
- Parcel postbox (prepaid barcoded parcels up to 44 × 35 × 16 cm, 2 kg)
- Parcel Collect from home (50p per parcel)
- Customer Service Point at a delivery office
Royal Mail Locker Sizes
Royal Mail locker, grey compartment
34×61×58 cmMax weight: 20 kg
Best for: Tracked 24/48 parcels, 1st and 2nd Class parcels, Returns
Royal Mail locker, red compartment
42×43×66 cmMax weight: 20 kg
Best for: Bulkier Tracked parcels, Boxed items
Best For
Common Issues & How to Avoid Them
- Prices rose on 5 October 2026: Tracked 48 Small Parcel went from £3.65 to £3.75 and 2nd Class Small Parcel from £3.95 to £4.40 (online prices), so re-check any postage you set on Depop or Etsy
- 1st and 2nd Class are not tracked; only Tracked 24/48 and Special Delivery give you tracking, and cover is £20 unless you upgrade
- Large Letter thickness limit is 2.5 cm: a padded envelope that bulges gets charged as a Small Parcel
- Special Delivery cannot go in a postbox or locker; it has to be handed over at a Post Office counter
- Post Office queues at lunchtime and on Saturdays: Collect+ counters and parcel postboxes are quicker for prepaid parcels